The issue of the Pudding Street Intersection on the Taconic State Parkway has been a source of unparalleled frustration for local leaders and community members for decades. The area represents a severe safety hazard and puts the lives of drivers in danger each and every day. It is even fair to argue that those most in danger are the schoolchildren whose buses cross the intersection multiple times per day.
Building an overpass to facilitate safe passage is something that has been a priority for this community for as long as I can remember. But, for years the bureaucratic red tape has made it impossible to get the project off the ground.
However, the hardworking men and women of this community have refused to let this issue fall to the wayside. It was thanks to their efforts that New York State Senator Sue Serino was able to jump on this issue quickly and effectively when she took office last year, working to get the ear of the state Department of Transportation Commissioner to plead our case directly. Without her advocacy, the feasibility study necessary to make this project a reality would never even have gotten off the ground.
I can honestly say Serino has done more to get the wheels turning on the overpass for this dangerous intersection in the first six months of her term than any other congressional or state leader has done since the 1980s. Her dedication to the safety of our community is truly commendable.
It is time that the NYS Department of Transportation accepts responsibility for the safety of this intersection. It is time for them to turn rhetoric into action and make the Pudding Street Overpass a priority before tragedy strikes.
Sergio Recine
Putnam Valley
